Pending drain work will cause flooding, warn councillors

CHENNAI: Rising in unison for the city’s cause, Greater Chennai Corporation councillors cutting across party lines urged the civic body authorities to speed up the drain works in the city so that the people are not affected during the upcoming monsoon season.

During the council meeting on Tuesday, many raised the pending storm water drain (SWD) works and sewage overflows in their wards, noting that the low-lying areas were vulnerable to flood during heavy rains. While urging the Corporation to speed up the works, especially in the flood-prone zones, the councillors sought clarity on the status of flood mitigation works.

They added that Captain Cotton Canal and Kodungaiyur canal should be cleaned by using robotic equipment before the monsoon to ensure that they could carry the flood water. Chairing the meeting, city Mayor R Priya said the civic body was on the job and allayed the fears of the council assuring that the city would not witness floods during this monsoon.

Not satisfied with this, members from opposition AIADMK alleged that drain works were progressing at very slow pace. Later, speaking to the media, they said the civic body engineers were boycotting the wards represented by AIADMK members. The opposition councillors also alleged that the government was taking steps to close down Amma Canteens and Amma Clinics at a few wards.

However, Corporation Commissioner Gagandeep Bedi said some canteens were being relocated to other places as the buildings they were situated in were being demolished. He added that there was no policy to reduce the number of Amma Canteens.

Meanwhile, Dilli Babu of Congress (ward 37) raised the issue of air pollution in Kodungaiyur area due to garbage burning inside the dump yard, and sought an update on the proposed biomining process to clear legacy waste.

Mayor Priya said, “Under the Clean India Programme, a detailed project report will be prepared and the process is likely to commence in three months’ time.”